Leader: God of Wine,
with vines slithering,
winding through your hair.
Grapes, with slipping grips, hang,
draping over eager ears.
Fattened fruit,
swelling with juice,
bursting out fermenting blood.
Gushing into
the cups of mortals.

People: Enticing us to:
sip your luscious blood,
howl your words of praise,
dance with phallic erect,
swig sacramental juice,
and,
love with bacchanal lust.

All: Hallelujah Dionysus!
The god of all gods.
My shackles erode by your
crimson wine.
Washing over
me.

Leader: Cruor Bacchus custodiat me invitam aeternam.

People: Words stained red with conviction.

Leader: This is the blood of the God of wine
that has been spilled for you.
Do this in remembrance
of him.

All: So pour us a gracious cup
of endless ecstasy.
For him, and the heavenly hosts
of the holy mount.
His favor will trickle down,
and the drips will roll on our tongues.
And when we drink,

Leader: May the blood of Dionysus give you everlasting life.

[Evan Ramos is a graduate from San Diego State University and has recently been accepted into the Creative Writing MFA program there. He is fascinated with the concept of pagan gods found within mainstream society and uses this as a focus on much of his writing.  J. Evan Ramos can be contacted at jevanramos@gmail.com.]